How to make chunky vegetable soup with pasta

A real Italian-inspired meal in a bowl — nutritious whole-wheat spaghetti in a rich minestrone-style soup full of tender vegetables. Serve with warmed olive focaccia for a comforting meal. Here's a step-by-step recipe for this healthy seasonal favourite.

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

Serves 4

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 parsnip75 ml (1/3 c) mushrooms
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 can (400 g/14½ oz) chopped tomatoes
• 500 ml (2 c) hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 75 g (3 oz) whole-wheat spaghetti
• 125 ml (1/2 c) grated Parmesan, to serve

1. Finely chop the onion. Dice the carrot, celery, pepper and parsnip, and chop the mushrooms. Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the bay leaf, onion, carrot, celery and garlic, reduce the heat to low, then cover and cook for two minutes.

2. Stir in the pepper and mushrooms, cover and cook for another two minutes. Add the parsnip and tomatoes, then pour in the hot stock and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

3. Break the spaghetti into 3.5 centimetre (1 1/2-inch) pieces and stir them into the soup. Return to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Ladle the soup into four bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan.

For a meaty version of this soup, sauté 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) of diced smoked bacon, chorizo or pancetta in a dry frying pan for one minute before starting step 1.

Leave out the parsnip and add 150 millilitres (2/3 cup) fresh or frozen green beans or fava beans with the pasta.

• Most of the goodness of whole grains is concentrated in the outer bran layer. Whole-wheat pasta retains that bran so it contains up to 75 percent more nutrients than pasta made from refined grains. Regularly eating whole-wheat pasta protects against heart disease and may lower the risk of some forms of cancer of the digestive tract.

• Frozen vegetables are great for everyday meals, saving time on shopping and preparation. There is a wide variety of mixtures, some with peppers, celery and mushrooms as well as the usual carrots, peas and beans. Use fresh onion and garlic, then add frozen mixed vegetables in step 2 in place of the fresh ingredients. Reduce the cooking time by five minutes.

Nutritional information: 270 Calories, 13 g Fat, 4 g Saturated Fat, 29 g Carbohydrates, 11 g Protein, 7 g Fibre